Cisco System’s New Dubai Headquarters

Innovative AV Solutions at Cisco System’s Dubai Headquarters

When Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, moved into its new office in Dubai’s Knowledge Village free zone, Electrosonic was tasked with equipping and fitting out the company’s extensive corporate audiovisual installation. The interior fit-out included 12 meeting rooms, five training rooms and two meeting/briefing rooms plus digital signage in the lobby. To meet Cisco’s need for an array of flexible AV solutions throughout the building, Electrosonic furnished a wide range of equipment, including audio/video conferencing designed to facilitate communication with other Cisco offices worldwide and an array of display technology for equipment presentations and meetings with clients.

When clients arrive in the lobby, they are greeted by a ribbon of six 42-inch Orion seamless plasma screens adjacent to Cisco’s colorful wall sign, “That’s The Human Network Effect.” The plasmas can display content across all six screens or show six different images or any combination of content. Currently, the first and last screens display TV feeds while the middle four screens show corporate news distributed via the Cisco Digital Media Player. In addition, the lobby’s seating area features a stand-alone 40-inch NEC LCD screen streaming content from the Cisco Digital Media Player. Two more wall-mounted 40-inch NEC LCD screens, displaying the same content, are installed in E-café areas on the first and third floors.

Each of two meeting/briefing rooms on the first floor, which are used for equipment presentations and customer meetings, is outfitted with a wall-mounted Smart Board SB660i2 screen and Unifi 45 projector manufactured by Smart Technologies. “Smart Board is touch sensitive and shows content from a laptop plugged into a table pop-up box,” explains Marko Joka, Electrosonic's project manager. “It is also connected to the laptop via USB to make use of its touch-sensitive surface.” Opposite the Smart Boards is a pair of 50-inch NEC plasma screens with speakers; they are used to display content from the laptop plugged into the table pop-up box. Two laptops can be simultaneously connected.

A Crestron touchpanel selects and controls the laptop input being displayed on the screens or the Smart Board. Both meeting/briefing rooms are outfitted with audio conferencing systems; mics can be plugged into the table pop-up boxes and sound is reinforced by JBL ceiling-mounted speakers. A streamlined credenza houses Electrosonic’s equipment rack, keeping gear out of sight.

Five training rooms can be physically configured in a host of different ways to accommodate sessions of any size. Jumeira 1, 2 and 3 can be used individually or 1 and 2, 2 and 3, or all three can be combined into a single room. In addition, Discovery and International can be used individually or combined into one large space. “The rooms posed a programming challenge,” says Joka, “since they can operate in various configurations – stand alone, combined with another room and all combined.” Jumeira 2 and International feature Tandberg video conferencing systems that can be used in independent or combined set ups. All of the rooms are equipped with ClearOne audio conferencing systems.

Training rooms have either 100- or 84-inch motorized projection screens depending on the location. “The motorized screens are concealed within wooden boxes aligned with the ceiling and pulled out only when required by command from the touchpanel,” Joka points out. Projectors are NEC NP2150s. It is also possible to display input from any connected laptop via six inputs in each room. Control of the inputs and the video and audio conferencing systems is done through Crestron touchpanels in each room.

Six small meeting rooms can accommodate eight to ten people. They are outfitted with 52-inch NEC LCD screens for presentations; laptops can be plugged in to the table pop-up box and control is again via Crestron touchpanels.